Residents told of how a dead dolphin was discovered washed up on Chesil Beach.

Portland resident Lee William Batchelor was walking his dog when he saw the dolphin on the beach near Quiddles Café at Chesil Cove, Portland.

"I'm not sure what happened to it to be honest," he said. "We've had storms lately so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it's death."

A staff member at the Chesil Beach Centre reported it to the relevant authorities after the discovery on Wednesday morning.

The creature is not believed to be popular bottlenose 'Danny the Dolphin' who has been entertaining visitors over the past year and is the star of numerous videos taken by onlookers.

Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Coastal Centre Assistant, Sarah Hodgson, said: “A dead dolphin was found washed up on Chesil Beach. We have taken photos and measurements to submit a report to the Natural History Museum who run the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP).

"It was a male short-beaked common dolphin and there were no obvious signs of trauma. There are several species of dolphin and porpoise that have been spotted in Dorset including the bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin and harbour porpoise."

For any sightings of dolphins, please let Dorset Wildlife Trust know, or contact RSPCA on 0300 1234999 or British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546 for live strandings, and the Cetacean Strandings Investigation programme on 01825 765546 for dead strandings.